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@blondie666-01.bsky.social Oct 5, 2026, 4:04 PM

Where does the idea of existential emptiness in Blondie's world come from?

#writercommunity #writer #webcomic #comic #world-building #dark #darkfanatasy #digital #indie #goth #doll #dolls #horror

The concept of an existential void in Blondie’s world relates to character-based brands from the 2000s and earlier. As a child, I loved the characters that appeared on notebooks, clothing, and merchandise—characters that lacked a backstory. Yet, beyond simply adoring their designs and aesthetics and wanting to know more about them, I felt an existential void stemming from their lack of history or context; they existed solely to sell products. Even with characters that *did* have series or movies—like Ruby Gloom—I sometimes experienced that same emptiness; I wanted to know more about the characters and their world, but there was hardly any context because the primary goal was selling merchandise. I always longed for greater narrative depth in the commercial characters I liked, and I wanted to reflect that in Blondie. As I’ve mentioned, many of us feel an existential void in her world: we have questions and doubts, and we want to know more, but there is very little context regarding the story. We know, however, that Blondie’s world *does* have a story—a very complex one—but it simply isn’t something that will be fully revealed in the mini-comics, the production of which is currently on hold. I am the only person working on my projects.

@blondie666-01.bsky.social Oct 5, 2026, 1:16 PM

What was the prototype for my comic *The Gray Show* like?
#writercommunity #writer #webcomic #comic #hell #world-building #dark #darkfanatasy #digital #indie #beta #zombies #zombie #horror #parody

This was the beta version of *Vlad, Megan, Max, and Fran*, a project I started when I was 17. The initial concept for Vlad and the work—which didn't yet have a title—was something akin to *Rick and Morty* or *Drawn Together*, but steeped in horror genre clichés; it was intended to be a "slice-of-life" series with occasional plot-driven episodes. I always made it clear that this was a simple project—with no pretensions of being a serious or ambitious story—since I was merely looking for a distraction and a way to keep moving forward. The premise was that Vlad was evil; he was the story's villain, inspired in part by Rick and conceived as a parody or homage to the demonic, malevolent villains of the horror genre. He had caused trouble in Hell due to his selfishness and was banished, leaving him stranded on Earth.

There, he crossed paths with Megan—a psychopath or narcissist who killed for fun—while Max and Fran were nowhere near as evil; in fact, they were the kindest members of the group. Vlad granted them the ability to transform into special zombies: creatures with lethal abilities far superior to those of ordinary zombies. They embodied various references to the zombie genre and apocalyptic viruses, possessing both strengths and weaknesses. Megan was the fastest and most dangerous zombie, endowed with great strength, excellent reflexes, and a powerful bite; however, she had a dangerous drawback. Max and Fran—especially Max—had to keep her under control. What bothered her most, given her psychopathic and narcissistic nature, was that while her zombie form was more lethal, her brain was rotting; She could neither remember nor enjoy the act of killing while in that form—something she considered a curse. Megan drew on the "fast zombie" trope, the infected from the *Crossed* series, and the deranged, murderous characters typical of horror fiction. Fran, on the other hand, was calm—and manipulated by Vlad—representing a "middle-ground" zombie (neither too fast nor too slow) inspired by the infection style of *The Last of Us*. He crafted weapons for himself, Megan, and Max, though his weak points were a lack of speed and poor reflexes.

Max embodied the intelligent leader and the classic zombie archetype; he was the strongest and smartest of the group. Both he and Fran retained their consciousness despite being zombies, whereas Megan’s brain was rotting away. Max’s only weakness was a fragile jaw—so weak, in fact, that he had to wear a trap-like device over his mouth, as his jaw was even more delicate than a human’s. The series aimed to present *Happy Tree Friends*-style violence and serve as both a tribute to and a parody of the horror genre; furthermore, Megan, Max, and Fran were references to the "Slayer" archetype. The episodes were intended to show slices of everyday life—a mix of gore and horror tropes—interspersed with chapters focused on the main plot. My goal was simply to create something entertaining and personal for horror fans, but the project was poorly received due to a lack of context and excessive graphic violence. I was seventeen and going through a difficult time in my personal life; that initial attempt was a disaster that forced me to rewrite much of the material. *The Gray Show* is the project that ultimately emerged from that process, although production is currently on hold and the story has changed significantly: Max and Fran are now key characters, but they only appear in the first season.

Now that I am a better writer and understand the format, I realize that the problem with the original version was precisely its excessive simplicity. However, it could have worked well as a video game with solid mechanics—a title where you choose a character to eliminate enemies or beat levels, focusing on gameplay, while character scenes serve as promotional shorts or comic strips. That approach might have been more successful. Nowadays, I create comics with a different mindset, and I believe that path would have worked better.

Looking back at that beta with my current creator mindset, I feel it could have worked much like *Dead by Daylight*. I really like those ideas now; since my writing has improved, I could revisit that beta in the future and develop it properly—though I couldn't use Vlad, as he belongs to *The Gray Show*. I could create a design similar to Vlad's but with the personality I originally envisioned for him—only this time, the writing would be truly good. I don't know why, but I feel I could do a great job with it now. However, I can't do it at the moment because I'm busy with other projects.

@blondie666-01.bsky.social Oct 5, 2026, 1:35 AM

The strength and demonic evolution in my work *The Grey Show*
#writercommunity #writer #webcomic #comic #hell #world-building #dark #darkfanatasy #digital #indie

Although the demons of Gluttony may have heavier bodies, they retain defined musculature because they must survive in an environment teeming with beasts, earthquakes, lava, fire, and so on. It is similar to real-world animals that evolved to look more intimidating in order to survive—think of kangaroos or fearsome-looking prehistoric creatures. That is the type of build my male demons have. As for musculature: in real life, men tend to have more muscle mass, so my female demons have lighter bodies that allow them to attack more quickly or land precise, accurate blows. They *can* be muscular, though not to the same extent as the male demons; nevertheless, female demons can possess the same strength and abilities as their male counterparts. Regarding why the Princes of Hell are male: it is because I want to respect the source material—where they are traditionally depicted as men—and because I wish to showcase different types of masculinity. That said, I have well-developed female characters, and future comics outside of *The Gray Show*—such as my work *Hero Universe*—will feature more female protagonists.

As for my demons' abilities, there is one I haven't mentioned yet: they all possess a second, enormous, and powerful demonic form. I don't yet know what to call this form, but the reason they rarely use it is that doing so could destroy Hell itself. They consider it a last resort for situations of extreme danger. Even the Princes of Hell possess this form; Vlad, Amon, and Pigi have it as well. I also want to clarify that my version of Hell is a functional society; the demons do not kill or attack one another at random. Combat is treated as a sport and takes place during training sessions, tournaments, and at fighting clubs. The reason male demons are so muscular—or, in the case of Gluttony, large-bodied yet defined—is based on real-life male physiques; there tends to be less variation in muscular male body types compared to the wide range of athletic or toned physiques found among women.

@blondie666-01.bsky.social Oct 5, 2026, 1:22 AM

Why are the designs of the demons in my work *The Gray Show* the way they are?
#writercommunity #writer #webcomic #comic #hell #world-building #dark #darkfanatasy #digital #indie #goth #metal #rock #punk

Many people loved the demon designs in my comic; they say they are highly original—far from being mere copies of existing ones—yet people still recognize them as demons and appreciate the design without it feeling jarring. I achieved this by combining pop culture elements—things people already associate with demons and hell—with fresh ideas. I blended them carefully, and to me, the result is incredible. The reason my demons sport gothic, metal, alternative, rock, or punk styles is that these aesthetics have become normalized in the depiction of demons over the years. I also incorporated references to the Bible and demonology, as well as the dark fantasy genre. Although there are nods to other mythologies—such as Greek, Norse, and Hindu—these are secondary elements; the main focus remains on the aspects I mentioned earlier. I don't copy demonic or biblical tradition to the letter, as that would strip my world of its identity, but I don't betray the source material either. Another point: when an author reimagines a demon or hell in a way that is too jarring, it sometimes works, but other times it’s a disaster.

They often fall back on the easy excuse that "demons seduce" and ignore everything else, resulting in mediocre designs. In my opinion, a radical reimagining only works if there is a solid, understandable, and justifiable context, like in *Helltaker* or *Exploding Kittens*. I don't think adding modern elements is bad, but some authors lack the writing or design skills to pull it off successfully; they simply throw things together at random, using the "demons seduce" concept as a crutch. Good design is essential, even for attractive characters. For instance, in my version of the Circle of Lust in Hell, I based the design on the idea that lust demons have numerous offspring; that is the key reference point. I draw inspiration from Greek mythology—which fits perfectly—while also incorporating mythologies outside the biblical tradition. The reason is that biblical mythology and the concept of Hell were actually inspired by those earlier mythologies; I crafted my designs with this in mind. Furthermore, my work and designs reference the horror genre and horror cinema in general; demons have always been a fundamental element of the genre—one need only think of *The Exorcist* or, even more so, *The Omen*. That is why Vlad is based on Freddy Krueger, why the Gluttony demons feature human-skin elements inspired by Leatherface’s mask, and why the Labyrinth of Lust draws from *Hellraiser*.

As for why *The Gray Show* references mythologies like the Greek and Norse, it is because biblical and demonic traditions drew upon those sources for certain designs—such as demon horns, which originate from creatures in those mythologies (like the god Pan, who inspired the classic image of the Devil). My design for Lucifer evokes Hades because, as you well know, those mythologies influenced the creation of Lucifer and other biblical elements. I also want to avoid those deplorable designs that use concepts like lust and seduction as an excuse for a poor, boring, or generic aesthetic. While I do not deny that demons can take human form, it is not just their human appearances that are generic; even their demonic forms are poorly designed. Finally, there are the designs that hide behind the label of "reinterpretation" while ignoring the basic rules of character design.